Puma and Soles4Souls “Grab” Shoes

Monday was an unusual day in Union Square, even by New York standards. Soles4Souls and Puma organized a unique used shoe drive. Puma created a giant red box, complete with a ladder and carpeted red steps to hold donated shoes. Then Puma representatives fanned the streets, asking New Yorkers to take off their shoes and donate them to Soles4Souls. In return, the person received a pair of Soles4Souls/Puma Flip Flops and a 30% discount off shoes in the Puma store. At first I was skeptical, but soon people

A Puma representative unpacks the Soles4Souls Flip Flops

Allan asking New Yorkers to donate the shoes off their feet

came up to the Soles4Souls table and handed us the shoes off their feet! The Puma reps even had a mega phone and alerted the crowd about the benefits of donating their shoes. It worked! We had a great response from New Yorkers who helped us as a shoe charity, and also recycled their shoes.